5 Upcoming Marvel And DC TV Comic Book Shows Guaranteed To Fail
From a Deadpool animated series to Teen Titans, there are a long list of superhero TV shows on the way; however, which of them are destined to disappoint and face the axe? Here are 5 sure to fail.
Comic book movies are more popular today than ever before, and as a result, so too are TV shows based on various Marvel and DC Comics properties (not to mention those from other smaller publishers). Of course, not all are good and fans are frequently divided in regards to which is best and what they all do right and wrong. There are, however, plenty to choose from and more on the way!
While many of those sound amazing, there are plenty which have left us all scratching our heads when it comes to what Marvel and DC are thinking. Some seem to be in the works just for the sake if it and others are just bad ideas you can tell will appeal to only a very limited audience because of mistakes made in terms of either the execution or characters chosen. Powerless is a recent example of that!
What you'll find here then is a look at five upcoming comic book TV shows we believe are destined to fail with a look at what they're doing wrong and why they're almost certainly facing cancellation!
5. Krypton
Syfy's involvement with Krypton was a concern from the start as the network isn't exactly known for making quality television. Throw in the fact that it's being developed by David S. Goyer and there's plenty of cause for concern, especially as focusing on Superman's grandfather doesn't sound like the most thrilling of premises. It's a show which feels like it exists simply for the sake of it and mostly because those Krypton set scenes in Man of Steel were one of the few things the majority of fans and critics weren't divided on.
A trailer for the show actually leaked a little earlier this year and did not look good; I know many of you have an issue with the production values of the DC TV shows on The CW but Krypton looks vastly inferior and very cheaply made. Gotham has surprised us all by lasting as long as it has so this one could surprise us, but with only familiar names rather than faces it's hard to say why casual viewers or fans will want to tune in.
4. Damage Control
On the surface, DC's Powerless sounded very good. Set to take place in an insurance company dealing with claims made in regards to superhero battles, the first comic book sitcom stood a chance of opening the door to a whole new type of adaptation. However, changes made turned the show into a complete and utter mess which couldn't even be saved by a variety of references to the source material so why should we be excited about Marvel's Damage Control?
Yes, the premise is a little different but this still feels like a genre ill-suited to the world of superheroes. Do we really need a twenty-minute laugh track with a group of guys clearing up New York while making vague cracks about Captain America as a blurry CGI Iron Man flies by in the distance? Damage Contol has actually been introduced in Spider-Man: Homecoming and probably not deliberately given the distance between Marvel Studios and Marvel TV. As a result, this one is likely D.O.A.
3. Cloak & Dagger
Cloak and Dagger aren't the most well-known Marvel characters but they're still very cool in terms of their unique abilities and are visually among most distinct superheroes on the planet. That's why there was so much excitement when their TV show was announced, but the first official image and teaser trailer have made it clear Cloak & Dagger isn't exactly what any of us were expected.
While its home on Freeform made it clear from the start that the show was being aimed a very specific audience, the duo's costumes have been ditched in preference of some very hipster-ish apparel which makes them look as generic as possible. Still, we all know that there's more to superheroes than what they wear, but nothing about that trailer pointed to Cloak & Dagger being anything more than just another Young Adult story which hits all the same old plot beats and brings nothing to the table. It appears as if the ball has even been dropped on the portrayal of their powers as well!
2. Watchmen
It's been nearly a decade since Watchmen hit theaters and in Hollywood time, that means it was released 100 years ago and is in desperate need of rebooting! The problem is is that there really aren't all that many places this franchise can be taken. To come up with a sequel would cheapen the movie's ending, while DC Comics tried a series of prequels with Before Watchmen and to call them underwhelming would be an understatement.
Another adaptation of the classic Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons tale feels redundant when Zack Snyder told it so perfectly and while it is a story which could be fleshed out over multiple seasons if it's all really stretched out (especially when the various characters were all part of the same team), I'm still not sure there's enough material there to help this one take off. As a result, I can see Watchmen being such a logistical nightmare that it never gets off the ground, something Damon Lindelof is no stranger to!
1. The Inhumans
When it was revealed that Marvel TV, IMAX, and ABC were teaming up to deliver an expensive, eight-part television series focusing on The Inhumans, it's fair to say that we were all massively excited. Unfortunately, the fact that Iron Fist's Scott Buck is serving as showrunner has tempered expectations, especially as he dropped the ball so many times in that series (specifically in regards to Danny Rand never suiting up and the portrayal of his powers).
The costumes have been a big talking point of The Inhumans too, especially as they all look...well, horrendous! We've reached a point where it shouldn't be that hard to have someone like Black Bolt suit up, but the show has even got that wrong. This isn't something which will make or break the project but based on everything we've seen so far, it really doesn't look like a lot of money has been spent here and it remains to be seen whether or not those movie-quality visual effects we keep hearing about are able to save this royal family. Personally, I see it being a very expensive flop for ABC which lasts just one season.
Do you agree that these five Marvel and DC comic book TV shows are destined to fail? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.